Boot or shoe



(No Model.)

' H. W. FURBBR.

BOOT OB. SHOE.

No. 880,715. Patented Apr. 1o. 1888.

N. PETERS. PhuwLiLhQgnphon Wnhinglm, ILC.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON W. FURBER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

laooT on sHoe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,715, dated April 10, 1888.

Application filed January 17,1888. Serial No. $261,011. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON W. FURBER, of Boston, county of Suffolk, Stateof' Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Boots or Shoes, of which'the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a boot or shoe having provision for elasticity, whereby the top of the boot orshoe may be adjusted to fit the leg of the wearer above the ankle.

In my invention the quarter ot' the boot or shoe has for apart of its length the usual heelseam, and above the said seam the inturned edges of the quarter have stitched to them the edges of a strip of elastic fabric or goring, and the lining ofthe boot or shoe in the line ofthe heel-seam and the center of the elastic gusset has its edges turned and stitched back after the lining is put together, so that when the seam in the lining is cut to permit greater eX- pansion of the gore the edges left after severing the stitches will be nished edges. When the shoe is nished, the liningA is of such size with relation to the upper that usual strains on the lining will stretch the gore but little; but in case the shoe is too snug then the seam in the lining opposite the gore is ripped, giving the gore freedom to expand. I have applied a protecting-strip between the gore and the inturned edges of the quarter above the heel-seam, and have provided the heel-seam at its top near the lower end of the gore with a sta 1 Figure 1 in side elevation represents ashoe embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a rear elevation; Fig. 3, a partial section in the line 1v, and Fig. 4 a modification.

The shoe herein shown consists chiefly of the sole @,Vamp b, two quarters, c c, and a buttonpiece, d. rlhe quarter-lining e e at the heel of the shoe is first laid together face to face and stitched by a line of stitches, e', at some distance from the edges of the quarter-pieces, and the lining is opened out iat with the main body of each quarter-lining in contact with the portion e2 thereof outside the said seam, and each quarter-piece is stitched to the edge e2, upon which it is so laid, by a line of stitches, as e3, the seam e being at such time covered at its outside by a stay, et, (see Fig. 3,) of braided or knitted fabric, which has elasticity and will stretch. In this way,when the line of stitches e is cut to enable the lining to accommodate itself to the size of the leg, the edge of the quarter'lining presents a turned or tnished edge, and the elastic strip obviates leaving a hole or open space between the lining and quarter. The two quarter-pieces c c are alike and extend from the sole to the top ofthe shoe.

The quarters are laid together face to face andstitched in usual manner from 2 to 3 to form the heel seam, and above the point 3, after inturning the parallel edges of the quarter-pieces, I add a stay, f, of leather, and then lay on the said inturned edges two projecting strips, g g, and then I apply the gore of elastic fabric h, stitching the same together by lines of stitches at 4V 4. The strips g g partially cover the gore, and they, together with the folded edge of the quarter pieces coutside the stitching el, receive the wear of the dress, keeping the dress from ltouching and wearing the stitches 4. The strips g g may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 4.

lf the shoe when purchased by the one to wear it is of proper size in the leg, the seam e will not be ripped; but if too snug the difficulty may be remedied by severing the stitches e.

I do not broadly claim a gore in a quarter, nor do I broadly claim cutting the lining to give greater freedom to the gore.

The lining extending to the top of the shoe back of the gore is not attached to the gore, but an open space is left between the gore and lining at 8.,

The lining and quarter, except at the gore, 9o are stitched together at the top,asat10, except inside the gore.

I have described the gore 7a as composed of elastic material; but the said gore might be made from leather orinelastic material in case 9 5 it were notdesired to have the top of the shoe stretch to t theleg, the said gore when inelas tic serving as a stay and obviating the use of outside stays commonly applied outside the heel-seam or parallel thereto.

Referring to Fig. 3, I may, if desired, carry the line of stitching il one or more parallel rows through the lining, as shown by dotted lines, such being done when a great amount of expansion is desired, and in such case the stitching e of the lining and the stay e* would both be out entirely through.

I claim- 1. The herein-described boot or shoe, having its quarters joined together from 2 to 3 to form a short heel-seam, the edges of the quarters above the said heelseam being inturned, and an elastic gore stitched tothe said inturned edges vertically above the heel-seam, all as shown and described.

2. The quarters stitched together from 2 to 3 to form a heel-seam, and the elastic gore stitched to the said quarters vertically above the said heel-seani,combined with the stay fat the top of the heel-seam, substantially as described.

3. The quarters stitched together from 2 to 3 to form a heelseam, and the elastic gore stitched to the said quarters vertically above the said heel-seam, combined with the stay f at the top of the heel-seam, and with a protecting-piece, g, partially overlapping the elastic gore, substantially as described.

4. The quarters united together f rom 2 to 3 to y form a heel-seam, and the elastic gore stitched to the quarters above and in line with the heelseam, combined With the quarter-lining stitched together, then opened out and stitched, each quarter-lining to a part ot' itself, whereby when the seam uniting the two halves of the quarter is cut the edges so left will be finished or folded edges, as described.

5. The quarters united together from 2 to 3 to form a heel seam, and the elastic gore stitched to the quarters above and inline with the heel-seam, combined with the quarter-lining stitched together, then opened out and stitched, each quarter-lining to a part of itself, and with the elastic stay-strip united to the -quarter-lining to stretch after the seam uniting the two parts ofthe quarter-lining is severed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofl havesigned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRISON W. FURBER.

Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, B. DEWAR. 

